Friday, March 8, 2013

TSA Week in Review: Inert Suicide Vest, Grenades, Guns and More…

Loaded
Firearm Detected by Imaging Technology: A loaded .380 pistol with eight rounds
was discovered on the lower left leg of a passenger at Bradley Hartford (BDL)
after he alarmed Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT). The passenger was arrested
by Connecticut State Police on a state charge.

Loaded Firearm Detected by AIT at BDL

Inert Ordnance and Grenades etc. - We continue to find inert hand
grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an
item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real
or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they
can cause significant delays in checkpoint screening. I know they are cool
novelty items, but you cannot bring them on a plane. Read here and here on why inert items cause problems.

Inert Suicide Vest (IND)

The
contents of a checked bag at Indianapolis (IND) drew our officer’s attention:
After alarming in the X-ray, our officers discovered 30 electric matches,
a bag of potassium chlorate in the original packaging, a bag of titanium powder
in the original packaging, a bag of powder that appeared to be a mixture of
potassium chlorate and titanium powder, and a vest that appeared to be a
suicide vest. All of the items were inert and the passenger was an explosives
instructor. As I’ve said before, we’re all too familiar with instructors and
other people in this type of business needing these sorts of items for their
jobs. As with all inert training items and replicas, we don’t know they’re not
real until we’ve checked them out. This can include evacuated baggage areas and
closed checkpoints which lead to delays and missed flights. People that need to
travel with INERT items should plan ahead and contact their preferred shipper
about mailing the training aids to their destination.

A
total of seven inert/replica grenades were discovered this week. Five WWII
replica “potato masher” grenades were discovered in checked baggage at
Louisville (SDF). The other two grenades were discovered at Dallas Fort Worth
(DFW) and Phoenix-Mesa (IWA). The grenade at DFW was in a carry-on bag.

What Not to Say at an Airport – Statements like these not only delay the
people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the
checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

After
alarming Advanced Imaging Technology at Minneapolis (MSP), the TSA officer
asked the passenger if he had any items he would like to divest from that area,
the passenger stated: “Yes, A Colt .45.” He didn’t have a firearm.

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why
we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our
officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item,
the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent
ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. The passenger can
face a penalty as high as $7,500.00. This is a friendly reminder to
please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an
individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law
enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had
these items.

*In order to provide a timely weekly update, I compile my data from a
preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly (increase) from
what I report in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear, or
end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will not be
estimates.

A loaded .380 pistol with eight rounds was discovered on the lower left leg of a passenger at Bradley Hartsfield (BDL) after he alarmed Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT).

Could have been found a lot cheaper with a simple metal detector.

After alarming in the X-ray, our officers discovered 30 electric matches, a bag of potassium chlorate in the original packaging, a bag of titanium powder in the original packaging, a bag of powder that appeared to be a mixture of potassium chlorate and titanium powder, and a vest that appeared to be a suicide vest.

I know you have a War On Liquids, but do you also have one on powders? Is it against the TSA rules to bring powders through the checkpoint??

CHECKED baggage. Which the passengers don't have access to during the flight. And thus, not a threat.

Thirteen stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation:

Thank goodness- there's a 1/100000000000000 chance someone might have stunned one or two people before being dog-piled by the other passengers.

After alarming Advanced Imaging Technology at Minneapolis (MSP), the TSA officer asked the passenger if he had any items he would like to divest from that area, the passenger stated: “Yes, A Colt .45.” He didn’t have a firearm.

Did he have a can of malt liquor? You know there's a brand of it called "Colt 45", and that liquids are still banned, right? I note that you refrained from giving further details on that situation. Hmm....

MEANWHILE... http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/newark_tsa_bomb_boozled_eTIZBp2X7B299qO5WCWvAK"An undercover TSA inspector with an improvised explosive device stuffed in his pants got past two security screenings at Newark Airport — including a pat-down — and was cleared to get on board a commercial flight"

I dont understand TSA. I try so hard to understand their reasoning on Policies. Its not like they have years of experience in air safety. Much less then profesional flight attendant and pilots that have been working in aviation for decades. But to ignore professional advice from aviation experts such as them, and allow knives on planes, saddens me and makes me think its just another way to make political name for them selfs.

First a undercover inspector gets a (fake) bomb past the screeners in Newark, and now a Newark TSA screener who recently left the agency tells how silly policies and lazy workers do little to stop real threats:

Testing is a joke:"When there are internal tests, conducted by the Newark training department, it’s easy to cheat because they use our co-workers. You could be working with someone all morning, and then they’re gone. Word gets around the checkpoint. Someone will come over to you and say, “Hey, it’s Joe. He’s got a blue duffel bag.”"

Supervisors are a joke:"Supervisors play absolutely no role in day-to-day functions except to tell you not to chew gum. Gum chewing is a huge issue with management. I once saw a supervisor make an officer open his mouth to prove he had a mint and not a piece of gum."

Professionalism is a joke:"Goofing off and half-hour-long bathroom breaks are the only way to break up the monotony. There is also a lot of ogling of female passengers by the male screeners. So, ladies, cover up when you get to the airport. These guys are checking you out constantly."

Common sense is a joke:"A small number of screeners are delusional zealots who believe they’re keeping America safe by taking your snow globe, your 2-inch pocket knife, your 4-ounce bottle of shampoo and performing invasive pat-downs on your kids."

The 'relaxing' of rules to allow knives is a joke:"(Incidentally, the flap over the new rule allowing small pocketknives is overblown. Most of the public doesn’t realize it, but you are already allowed to bring scissors, screwdrivers, tweezers, knitting needles and any number of sharp instruments on board.)"

Discipline is a joke:"One screener didn’t come to work for four weeks. When he finally reappeared, he asked for another week off. The answer was no. So what did this brainiac decide to do? He took another week off — and didn’t get terminated.

People have been caught falling asleep on the job. They get written up, it’s put in their file, and that’s it."

A thought that comes to my mind, is what is the goal? To eliminate air travel? I know and agree that there should be some kind of security check but if it goes to far consumers will travel by other means. When I contemplate using a plane vs. driving somewhere all I have to do is visualize a long security line and I decide to drive. The process has to be more automated or privatized by the airlines, what we have today is not right and if it continues we will have more airlines going bankrupt. I guess the governments solution to that will be to own the airlines....funny in school I was thought that we were better than the USSR because we had private industry, but it seems every year we have less of this. We should call ourselves the Peoples Republic of America then :)

"Every American family should read the Tweet from Senator McCaskill who described her aggressive pat-down today."

Like Sen. Paul who was detained (TSA prefers to use a different word for legal reasons) and the late Sen. Kennedy who said he was on the no fly list, she is in a position to do more then offer sharp criticism. I can appreciate the experience was humiliating and degrading for her. It isn’t pleasant for me either since I alarm AIT and can only use metal detector at Pre Check locations. The outrage to me is they’re in a position to do something about it, we aren’t. They have a duty to take action to prevent it from happening to others. Unfortunately all we ever see is grandstanding and righteous indignation, never any action to protect the rest of us.

(screenshot taken since even very public names with events easily sourced at random result in post being sent to the delete-o-meter)

if you guys dont like tsa that much dont fly its simple as that. If you cant fly find another way to travel. If you have no other way to travel thats to bad for you, suck it up and get over it. Most of these people are just doing their jobs and you people cry and complain none stop.

Anonymous said..."if you guys dont like tsa that much dont fly its simple as that. If you cant fly find another way to travel. If you have no other way to travel thats to bad for you, suck it up and get over it. Most of these people are just doing their jobs and you people cry and complain none stop."

Let's define "complain" in this context. Do you mean "have a different opinion than you, and are vocal about it?" If that's what you mean, then no apologies from me. I don't let the government trample our rights without making some noise.

As for other modes of transportation, can you name one that TSA doesn't have their paws in?

As a good guy, I used to always travel with my favorite folding lock-blade when I traveled. I felt very safe because if anything bad ever happened, I had a small chance of stopping it. Now I feel helpless and just get drunk instead.

TSA has an almost impossible job. They have to be perfect 100% of the time. The Terrorists have to be lucky once or twice. I know it's a pain going through security, but just look at their weekly finds and you will see that it is worth it. The terrorists see this and don't try highjacking because they know they will get caught.

Thank the TSA employees the next time you go through security. They migh have saved your life and you not even know it.

Anonymous said..."I know it's a pain going through security, but just look at their weekly finds and you will see that it is worth it."

You do realize they have a failure rate of approximately 70%, don't you? If you think the weekly finds proves they're keeping dangerous stuff off of planes, then the 70% that made it on should send shivers down your spine.

"The terrorists see this and don't try highjacking because they know they will get caught."

Again, I ask for proof of this. You see, I have this anti-tiger rock. The tigers see this rock on my coffee table, and therefore the tigers do not attack me while I'm in my apartment. Can you prove it's not the rock protecting me, and not the fact that tigers attacks in central Ohio (and terrorists) are extremely rare?